Sanitary attachment for telephonic appliances.



Patented Jan. 30, I900. A. J. WOLFF.

SANITARY ATTACHMENT FOR TELEPHONIC APPLIANCES.

(Application filed June 7, 1899.)

(No Model.)

FIQZ

FIG. 3.

u'ahn Doe PaperTubeLo.

INVENTOR.

WITNESSES U ITED STATES PATENT GFFIQE.

ARTHUR J. WOLFF, OF HARTFORD, OONNEOTIGU'II' SANITARY ATTACHMENT FORTELEPHONIC APPLIANCES SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No.642,408, dated January 3t), 1906.

Application filed June 7,1899. Serial NB. 719.701. (No 1110.181.)

To aZZ whom it may concern-.-

Be it known that I, ARTHUR J. WOLFE, a

- citizen of the United States of America, and

a resident of the city and county of Hartford and State of Connecticut,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in SanitaryAttachments for Telephonic Appliances, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to sanitary attachments for telephonic and othersimilar appliances, and more particularly to detachable mouthpieces fortelephone-transmitters and analogous devices.

It is a well-known fact that certain forms of disease, and especiallycontagious and infectious diseases, are due to the introduction into thehuman body of certain micro-organisms, as bacteria, and by theirsubsequent multiplication and product and that the inhalation of aninfectious or germ-impregnated atmosphere is one of the prime causes ofdisease.

By analytical experiments I have found that the ordinary mouthpieces oftelephonetransmitters, and especially those subject to public usage,form excellent repositories for many specific forms of micro-organisms,such as bacteria, and occasionally parasites of the lower order, and onthis account must necessarily in use be dangerous to health,for thereason that the germ-impregnated or infectious and somewhat-confinedatmosphere within the mouthpiece would be inhaled by the use of thetransmitter perhaps with results injurious to health; and it is the oneparticular object of this invention to furnish, in connection withthespeech-transmitter, an improved mouthpiece constructed strictly onhygienic principles for temporary use and one that may, after being onceused, be quickly removed, destroyed, or thrown away and replaced by anew or clean one at nominal cost.

A further object of the invention is to provide, in connection with atelephone-transmitter or analogous device, a sanitary attachmentembodying a holder and a flexible, conical, or cup-like mouthpiece, ofpaper or analogous material, open at both ends and which is soconstructed and applied to said holder that an air-space of considerablemagnitude is formed between the exit end of said mouthpiece and theadjacent surrounding portion of said holder, and which mouthpiece mayalso be readily removed and replaced.

In the drawings accompanying and forming part of this specification,Figure 1 is a central longitudinal section of a portion of atelephone-transmitter, showing in section one form of sanitarymouthpiece and holder embodying this invention applied thereto. Fig.

2 is a similar view of another form of sanitary attachment-i. e, aholder embodying this invention applied to a transmitter. Fig. 3 is asimilar view of another form of sanitary attachment embodying thisinvention, showing the same applied to an ordinarytransmittermouthpiece; and Fig. 4 is a side view of the sanitarymouthpiece illustrated in Fig. 3, showing the same detached from thetransmitter-mouthpiece and having advertisingmatter thereon.

Similar characters designate like parts in all the figures of thedrawings.

In the drawings I have for convenience shown several modified forms ofsanitary attachments for telephonic transmitters, each of which embodiessome feature of this invention.

Generically considered, the sanitary attachment constituting thesubject-matter of this invention comprehends a holder (designated in ageneral way by H) adapted to be applied to or constituting a part of atelephone-transmitter or other analogous appliance and a sanitarymouthpiece or cover, (designated in a general way by M,) constructed ofpaper or other similar inexpensive expansile mate rial, so constructedand applied to said holder that an air-space will be formed between theinner end of said mouthpiece and the adja- 0 cent surrounding portion ofsaid holder, for a purpose hereinafter described. For convenience thiscover or part M will be hereinafter referred to as a mouthpiece, but itwill be obvious that the same may constitute an earpiece for a telephonereceiver. In the construction and organization thereof illustrated inFig. l the holder H is shown as a nipple externally screw-threaded atits inner end and fitting the opening in a tele- I00 phonictransmitter-box R and having the periphery of its outer end taperedinwardly to correspond to the inclination of and receive the inner endof the conical mouthpiece M. The mouthpiece, as illustrated in Fig. 1,is shown comprising a conical external tube 25, constructed, preferably,of two layers 2 and 3, of paper or other inexpensive material, with anantiseptic absorbent 5 interposed between said layers 2 and 3, and aninternal tube 25 of preferably conical construction disposed Within theouter tube t and constituting a soundconcentrator and germ-interrupter,the inner end of said tube t being of relatively small diameter ascompared with the diameter of the inner end of the outer tube 15 and theouter end of said tube 25 being fixed to or merging into the tube tintermediate its ends, as shown in said Fig. 1.

In practice where a mouthpiece such as shown in Fig. 1 is used theabsorbent layer 5, intermediate the two layers 2 and 3 of the outertube, will be saturated with a suitable antiseptic solution, and topermit the antiseptic air to pass to the interior of the tube 6 and tube25 the tube t will be perforated, as shown at 6.

The sanitary attachment illustrated in Fig. 2 is similar in a generalway to that illustrated in Fig. 1, the only difference being in theomission of the antiseptic absorbent and the outer layer 2 of the tube25, this constituting a preferred and simplified form of asepticattachment. The holder for the aseptic mouthpiece shown in Fig. 2 isslightly different in construction from that shown in Fig. 1, thisholder I-I being shown as an externally-flanged conical tube or ringsecured in place on the telephone-transmitter by screws.

It will be obvious that this invention is not limited to the specificform of holders or mouthpieces illustrated in the figures of theaccompanying drawings, as various modifications may be made thereinwithin the purview of this invention.

In Figs. 3 and 4 the sanitary mouthpiece is shown as a conical tubeflared somewhat at its outer end and adapted to fit within the holder,the holder for this form of mouth-,

piece being shown in Fig. 3 as the ordinary telephone-transmittermouthpiece.

The inner or exit end of the mouthpiece will, as shown in the drawings,be sufficiently reduced in diameter, as compared with the internaldiameter of the adjacent surrounding portion of the holder, as toprovide, when the mouthpiece is applied to said holder, an air-space ofconsiderable magnitude between this end of said mouthpiece andsurrounding portion of said holder.

On account of the cheapness in the cost of manufacture of thesemouthpieces the same may be consistently used as an advertising medium,and to this end the mouthpiece is shown in Fig. at as having advertisingmatter (designated by 7) on its outer face, this adver tising matterbeing for convenience shown in Fig. 4: as the arbitrarily-selected wordsThe John Doe Paper Tube (10.5 but it will be obvious that any desiredadvertising matter may be printed, stamped, or impressed on or in saidmouthpiece.

In Figs. 1, 2, and 3 the central opening 8 of the mouthpiece M is shownin axial alinement with the center of the opening in the transmitter,which is necessary for obvious reasons.

In practice the mouthpieces embodying this invention will be packed innested condition in convenient relation to the telephone appliances withwhich the same are to be used, so that the user of the phone maywithdraw one of said mouthpieces from the nest, apply it to thetelephone-transmitter, as the case may be, use the appliance,and'subsequently remove the used mouthpiece and destroy the same, sothat each user of the telephone will in turn use a new mouthpiece,especially where the form of aseptic mouthpiece illustrated in Figs. 2to 4., inclusive, are employed. \Vhere the antiseptic mouthpiece shownin Fig. 1 is used, the same need not be removed as often as thoseillustrated in Figs. 2 to 4:.

To facilitate the application of the tube or mouthpiece M to the holderwhen the form of holder shown in Figs. 1 and 2 are used, said tube willbe split or longitudinally divided at its inner end, as shown at 9 indotted lines, to permit this end to expand sufficiently to be forcedover the enlarged end of said holder,

said divided portions of the tube springing back, owing to their naturalreactionary qualities, into tight engagement with the periphery of saidholder.

In the forms shown in Figs. 1 and 2 the inner tube or cone t has itsinner end of considerably less diameter than the inner end of the outertube or cone, so as to form an airspace around the inner cone between itand the outer cone, whereby any germs which may be trajected through theinner cone will,when they strike the diaphragm plate 01 of thetransmitter, be thrown backward into the space between the inner andouter tubes and adhere to the outer and inner faces of the inner andouter tubes, respectively.

I claim- 1. A sanitary attachment for telephonic and similar appliancesconsisting of a holder; and a conical mouthpiece of paper open at bothends and so constructed and applied to the holder as to provide anair-space between the periphery of the inner end of said mouthpiece andthe adjacent surrounding portion of said holder.

2. An attachment of the character specified comprising a holder; and apaper mouthpiece open at opposite ends and constructed to frictionallyengage said holder and having the inner or exit end thereof ofmaterially less eizternal diameter than the adjacent internal soconstructed and disposed as to form an air I diameter of said holder, asand for the purspace between said inner and outer tubes. 10

pose described. Signed by me at Hartford, Connecticut, this 3. A11attachment of the character specified 5th day of June, A. D. 1899. 5comprising a holder; and a flexible tube of ARTHUR J. WOLFE.

paper or analogous material secured to said \Vitnesses: holder andhaving secured upon the interior HARRY I-I. OLOOTT,

thereof, intermediate its ends, a conical tube E. O. WHITNEY.

